Alright. Let's just get everything out of our systems. Yes, Blake Sennet, Rilo's guitarist, was on "Salute Your Shorts." Yes, Jenny Lewis' side project is the Postal Service with Ben Gibbard. Yes, Jenny is a cute redhead. And yes, Jenny did kiss Fred Savage in the movie "The Wizard." Instead of thinking of such things upon hearing the name Rilo Kiley, one should think soley of their best release to date, The Execution Of All Things.

Only Rilo Kiley could make lyrics as simple as "All of our friends were gathered there with their pets just talking shit" sound beautiful and perfectly placed. The soft-spoken, hushed tone of Jenny's voice is the ideal way to open such an album. The folk, indie feel is consistent throughout the record, especially given the wide variety of instruments guests provide. The French horn, flute, keyboard, accordion, and cello all make appearances on The Execution Of All Things and add to the dream-like feel. Hell, even the way Jenny Lewis frequents the word "fuck" is beautiful. And that's just not a pretty word.

The imagery on this album is amazing; "In my dreams, I see myself hitting a baseball in a green field somewhere near a freeway. I'm all tan and smiling and running from third base." When written out, the lyrics look bland and awkward, yet the way Jenny's haunting voice projects them, they're irresistable. The Execution Of All Things is clearly a feel-good release, with still a little bit of self-deprecation, but nothing too overbearing. The album will have you partaking in the laid-back feel immediately.

Not only would The Execution Of All Things qualify as Rilo Kiley's best release to date, I'd also go out on a limb and dub it one of 2002's best releases of any kind.

MP3s
The Execution Of All Things
With Arms Outstreched